Not Applicable.
Not applicable.
The present invention is directed to vineyard apparatus, systems, and methods, and, more particularly concerns, machinery, devices, systems, and methods for completely or partially mechanizing grape growing and harvesting while maintaining or improving vineyard consistency and fruit quality. The present invention applies to both wine and juice grape types, is adapted to a substantial number of different trellis types and training systems, and is especially useful in established vineyards, for example having been trained for about three or more years.
Grapes are consumed in a larger quantity and in more different product types than any other fruit crop on a global basis. The major uses for grapes are for wine, raisins, fresh market, juice (and concentrate), and in canned products (such as fruit cocktail). Table 1 shows the important grape producing countries of the world.
Chapter XX, xe2x80x9cGrape Growingxe2x80x9d, by Justin R. Morris, in the text xe2x80x9cModern Fruit Sciencexe2x80x9d by Norman F. Childers, Justin R. Morris, and G. Steven Sibbet, published by Horticultural Publications, Gainsville, Fla., 1995, is hereby incorporated by reference. More particularly, as described on pages 478-482 including Table III and FIGS. 24-27, mechanical pruning equipment has reduced the man hours required for grape pruning. Page 484 describes mechanical harvesting, and page 485 describes the economics of vineyard mechanization. As described on pages 491-494 and as shown in FIGS. 38 and 40, vinifera grapes for processing are mechanically harvested and power pruned using tractor powered, hand-held pneumatic power shears in an effort to reduce labor costs.
Although mechanical harvesters, mechanical shoot positioners, and mechanical pruning devices have been known for some time, heretofore, a commercially viable and effective system and apparatus for complete mechanization of the growing and harvesting of wine and juice grape cultivars has not been developed. Although attempts have been made at vineyard mechanization, they have fallen short in that they either require excessive follow-up hand operations or other manual labor, do not provide for mechanization of both upright and drooping growth habit grape cultivars, are not adjustable, adaptable, or versatile enough to be used with a multitude of trellis types or training systems, are not cost effective, do not maintain fruit quality, and the like.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,426,517; 3,439,482; 3,473,311; 3,563,016; 3,559,386; 3,601,964; 3,613,343; 3,715,876; 3,727,388; 3,760,574; 3,766,724; 3,783,595; 3,866,401; 3,889,454; 3,890,774; 3,890,775; 3,939,629; 3,996,730; 4,016,711; 4,022,001; 4,035,572; 4,112,657; 4,207,7274,112,657; 4,207,727; 4,241,569; 4,251,983; 4,282,705; 4,291,526; 4,299,081; 4,321,786; 4,370,847; 4,391,085; 5,339,612; 5,355,667; and 5,423,166 are directed to or disclose grape harvesting or grape harvester equipment or machinery.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,618, issued to Tommy L. Oldridge on Apr. 7, 1992, discloses an improved grapevine comber (shoot positioning) machine or device including a pivoting counterforce brush for use with an underslung grapevine comber for cleaning and positioning shoots of the grapevine overhanging the guide wires of a divided canopy, and is hereby incorporated by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,444, issued to Tommy L. Oldridge on Aug. 13, 1996, discloses a single curtain wine and juice grape vine cane pruner and is hereby incorporated by reference.
Other patents of general interest include U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,006 directed to a vine combing (shoot positioning) machine, U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,266 directed to a viticultural process and vine-dressing machine, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,705 directed to a machine for trimming and disbudding vine shoots for subsequent use as graft supports.
Hence, there exists a need throughout the viticultural world for an improved vineyard apparatus, system and method for partial or complete vineyard mechanization and to modify, trellis, and train grapevines so that expensive hand operations can be economically mechanized without any substantial loss of yield while maintaining or improving vineyard consistency and fruit quality.
In accordance with the present invention, a vineyard apparatus, method and system for complete or partial mechanization of grape growing and harvesting or viticulture is provided which addresses the shortcomings of the prior art and makes provision for viticulture mechanization without a substantial decrease in yield and while maintaining or improving vineyard consistency and fruit quality, especially in established vineyards.
For more than thirty-two years, extensive research studies involving various concepts of vineyard mechanization have been carried out at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station under the direction of Justin R. Morris (22). Tommy Oldridge was one of the first growers in the region to commercially test, implement, and improve upon the findings of these research studies.
These studies at the University of Arkansas have involved the evaluation of trellising and training systems suitable for complete vineyard mechanization, mechanical shoot positioning, mechanical pruning, mechanical thinning, mechanical harvesting, and the post-harvest handling and utilization of mechanically harvested grapes (2, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 35). The success of this approach to vineyard mechanization has been the fact that it has concentrated on minimizing or eliminating all limiting factors impacting the system while maintaining, or in some cases improving, fruit quality. Also, new equipment has been developed, modified and evaluated for the mechanization of each viticultural operation requiring hand labor. A major effort has been placed on accomplishing these objectives without any substantial loss in fruit quality.
A principal object of the present invention is the provision of an improved system, apparatus and method for vineyard mechanization.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a shoot and fruit thinner for mechanical fruit and shoot thinning, a full row GDC harvester, a modified half-row and modified full row GDC floating, shaking, rotating head harvester, a modified slapper, a modified xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d trellis, and/or a modified cordon wire support assembly, a guide wire anchoring support unit for facilitating mechanization.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision of respective complete and partial mechanization systems, apparatus, and methods for mechanization of Vitis labruscana, Vitis vinifera, French-American hybrids, American hybrids, as well as other grape species and cultivars.
Still yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a Morris-Oldridge vineyard mechanization system, apparatus and method adapted for use with a single curtain trellis, Geneva Double Curtain (GDC) trellis, California T-trellis, high wire bilateral cordon, standard vertical movable catch wire, Lyre or xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d, other divided canopy trellises, vertical shoot position (VSP), minimal pruning (MP or MPCT in Australia), Smart-Dyson ballerina trellis, modified forms of such trellises or training systems, or the like.
Another and more particular object of the present invention is a vineyard system, apparatus and method for mechanization of Vitis labruscana grapes on a single curtain trellis, minimal pruned Vitis labruscana grapes on a GDC trellis system, minimal pruned Vitis labruscana grapes on single curtain trellis system, Vitis vinifera and French-American hybrid grapes on standard California T-trellis, high wire bilateral cordon and standard vertical movable catch wires, minimal pruned Vitis vinifera and French-American hybrid grapes on high wire single curtain trellising system, and Vitis vinifera and French-American hybrid grapes on GDC, Lyre or xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d, a modified xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d, other divided canopy trellises, and the like.
Other objects and further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like parts are designated by like reference numerals.